Poster #114 - The Value of Intermediation in Bikeshare

• In Event: Friday Poster Reception

Abstract

Urban transportation networks are increasingly turning to micromobility solutions like bikeshare to reduce congestion, cut emissions, and improve connectivity to public transit. However, these systems often struggle with mismatches between where people want to ride and where bikes are actually available. Alleviating these imbalances requires costly interventions by the system operators, who must act as intermediaries to move bikes around to meet consumer needs. This study focuses on Citi Bike in New York City, the largest bikeshare system in the U.S., which has seen record ridership alongside growing operational challenges and public debate about its role as a public service. I investigate a key question: How important is the operator in making sure the system works well and stays accessible and how do gaps in bike availability affect different neighborhoods? This question is especially relevant as local governments consider whether to help fund or even take over bikeshare systems to ensure more reliable service.
This project leverages data on over six years of individual Citi Bike trips and real-time station availability from 2018 to 2024. By combining these data, I can infer when the bikeshare operator moves bikes between stations. If a station’s bike availability changes in ways that can’t be explained by net inflows and outflow of trips alone, I classify that as a rebalancing event. Using this data, I estimate a model of how bikes and consumers match with each other and how they are distributed throughout the city on average. This allows me to determine how ridership changes when I change the intensity with which the operator moves bikes in different neighborhoods. Preliminary results indicate that changing the bike supply in neighborhoods where bikes are least available leads to increases in ridership. Further work will investigate how ridership and availability are impacted by the expansion of the system.
These findings point to the critical role of the operator in maintaining system accessibility, particularly for underserved areas. They also suggest that collaborative policy solutions—such as public-private partnerships or targeted subsidies—could enhance system equity and resilience. As cities weigh the future of micromobility, evidence-based collaboration will be essential in designing sustainable, inclusive transportation networks.

Author

• Anya Tarascina, University of Wisconsin-Madison
  Presenting Author